Anxiety and burning mouth syndrome: case series and literature review

Methods 11 patients diagnosed and treated for burning mouth syndrome were questioned following the instructions of the STAI test. The results were colected and analyzed using the SPSS 17 for windows for descriptive statistical. A decatipes equal or greater than 6 (STAI scale) indicates the presence of an anxious state or anxiety as a personality trait.

Results 10/11 patients results with an anxious state at the moment of the test's aplication. 8/10 patients results with anxiety as a personality trait. One patient refused to answer the personality trait questionnarie. Means state/trait decatipes were 6,45/6,80. There were no differences between the means of decatipes of state anxiety for men and women (6,75/6,29). However; men were slightly more than women to anxiety as a personality trait (7,33/6,57). The age means for the higher decatipes of anxiety were 50, 83 years for the state anxiety and 50,33 years for the anxiety personality trait.} None of the patients studied had been referred to psychiatric consultation and / or psychological counseling at the moment of the test aplication.

Conclusions Many authors have related emotional disorders such as frecuent anxiety and anxious personalities with neurological disorders and syndromes such as burning mouth. Interconsultation with psychiatric or psychological counseling should accompany drug and nutritional therapy that can be indicated to these patients.